While the core technologies that support radio frequency identification (“RFID”) systems have been around for some time, the applications that drive the use thereof have been slow to market. The aforementioned trend has been turning in an impressive fashion as the size and cost of RFID tags has decreased and the sensitivity of RFID readers has increased. Moreover, the market forces, especially with respect to the supply chain in the retail industry, are pulling the RFID technologies into the mainstream and literally onto the shelves.
The RFID tags are used in several logistics and supply chain applications to track and monitor objects such as products and assets through various points in the supply chain. Certain assets are reusable, and it is common to use RFID tags that serve as permanent “license plates” or unique identifiers. The permanent license plate RFID tags save the asset owners money by not requiring a one-way, disposable RFID tag, but those skilled in the art of logistics and transportation understand that this is not limited to only permanent RFID tags on assets. It would be beneficial to implement a system applicable with permanent RFID license plates, one-way RFID tags, or both where the situation applies.
Presently, RFID systems for the tracking of assets are limited in their ability to be fine tuned and optimized for a particular environment or application. Usually integrators utilize the “one size fits all” solution meaning the tools are limited to the customer for a true optimization of an RFID pilot. There are a number of challenges presented when deciding on a solution. For instance, the object for receiving the RFID tag may lack usable area to install the RFID tag to track assets. There may also be limited access to electrical and Ethernet connectivity for the RFID system.
Additionally, customers may have limited budgets and may want the flexibility to track assets at various locations without committing to RFID readers at multiple locations. In other words, the customers may wish to utilize one RFID reader employable at a number of locations. The customers also prefer the ability to prevent unwanted assets with the RFID tags from being read.
Of course, the applications for RFID systems vary as well. A particular application may dictate a food grade area wherein the RFID system should be sealed to prevent an incidental matter or dust from entering the same. A particular application may dictate directionality from antenna lobes of the RFID system to prevent radio frequency (“RF”) from reading a certain area. Some applications may limit the length of time that the RFID system is used on a daily basis. In these extreme instances, a portable RFID system with the ability to be tailored for an application is beneficial to the customer, thereby conforming to the requirements of the application for enhanced performance.
As mentioned above, RFID systems may be employed to track different types of assets. For instance, tape reels are held in a number of holding areas. It is very difficult to determine the quantity of each component as well as the location where each reel is stored. Typically, the only time that each reel is read is with a barcode reader or if the part number is keyed by hand. RFID systems are considered a solution, but present a number of challenges.
Due to the problems associated with electrostatic discharge (“ESD”), most reels associated with pick and place activities are conductive and metallic in nature. This provides an undesirable environment when trying to read RFID tags on these materials. Conductive materials prevent the RFID tags from being read on or through the reel. Most components within the reel are metallic, which also prevents an RFID tag from being read on or through the reel. These challenges along with the fact that the reels are of various diameters make it difficult to apply an RFID tag directly on a reel. As an example, different sized reels placed side-by-side in an area make it difficult to apply an RFID tag in a location accessible to the RFID reader, especially when the RFID system comes in a one size fits all configuration.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a portable RFID system that can incorporate a modular antenna design for a particular RFID application that allows multiple antenna configurations to fit a desired application. Additionally, it would be beneficial to have an RFID tag holder for assets such as tape reels that enables the RFID tags to be read substantially without interference from conductive materials or from metal of the taped passive components.